


Miss K Sallies Forth

by misura



Category: Forgotten Ages Series - Lindsay Buroker
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Gen, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 18:05:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17647331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Rias and Tikaya receive an invitation to visit the Turgonian Empire.





	Miss K Sallies Forth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sigalit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sigalit/gifts).



"Truly, Miss Komipotis, the Turgonian Empire needs a new literary phenomenon. A breath of fresh air, if you wish. A reminder that we need not let our history determine our future. And you are a _woman_ , too."

"Komitopis," Tikaya said, while wondering what her being a woman had to do with anything.

Gearcrest frowned. "You wish to retain a certain amount of anonymity? I understand your modesty, naturally, but I am not at all sure that I could agree to such a - a _deception_ , however small, of my public."

Tikaya decided that she had been wrong in assuming the author of the popular Starcrest novels had never met its hero due to Rias's rank. Clearly, someone had rightly assumed that a face to face meeting would have ended with Gearcrest strangled.

"You understand, I pen my books in service to a higher power," Gearcrest went on.

Tikaya assumed this meant that while he objected to spelling her name correctly, he saw nothing wrong with taking liberties with the truth otherwise.

"I'll think about it," she promised, not adding that she'd mostly be thinking of a way to say 'no, thank you' without offending the man while still getting the message across loud and clear.

" 'The Charming Cryptomancer and the Sugar Cane Saboteurs'." Gearcrest sighed dreamily. " 'Miss Kompitos and the Mystery of the Occult Octopus.' Oh, the possibilities! I swear to you, Tikaya - can I call you by your first name? Excellent. I swear to you, the Empire is ready for a new, gentler hero, relying on charm and beauty rather than guile and strategy."

"Uh-huh." Tikaya wondered if that was Gearcrest's way of saying he planned to turn her into an idiot.

 

Rias took one look at her face as she returned to their (very comfortable and probably quite expensive) rooms. With the Emperor footing the bill, Tikaya had decided to simply enjoy the luxury and try to view the whole thing as a well-earned vacation, rather than a trip into the lion's den.

"That bad?" Rias grinned, though his voice sounded sympathetic.

"Well, at least he didn't mind signing a couple of books for our friends back home," Tikaya said. "As to my being agreeable to letting him write and publish the Amazing Adventures of Temerarious Tikaya, I don't think that I will be accepting his very kind and generous offer of making me famous."

"More famous," Rias said, his grin widening. "And ... temerarious?"

"The man does love his alliteration," Tikaya said. "So how was your day?"

"Why not tempestuous? Triumphant? Tall?"

"I think someone once told me that compared to Turgonian women, I wasn't that tall. At least, not tall enough to be considered unattractive. Has the Emperor kindly agreed not to kill you?"

Rias's gaze flicked to the panel behind which some imperial spy was likely writing down every word the two of them said. Tikaya wished him joy of it. She and Rias had worked out a number of coded messages in advance, all perfectly innocuous phrases that might very well occur in a regular conversation.

In a way, Tikaya would have a harder time not sending Rias a false alarm than she would have communicating that something was wrong, from 'I've been poisoned' to 'someone slipped me a secret message in the street today and we should pretend to have sex in order to further discuss this'.

"We're still working our way towards the bigger issues," Rias said. "Today was mostly for small talk. His assassin was in residence as well. You might remember him."

Tikaya did. "A hint, do you think?"

"Habit, more likely." Rias snorted. "The Emperor has no need for subtlety."

Tikaya did not point out aloud that she knew as well as Rias did that there were a number of things the Emperor _did_ experience a need for, and she and Rias might provide several of them - at least in theory. If they agreed to do so.

"Do you want to go somewhere else for dinner?"

Rias shook his head. "The food here's probably the best of the city. Besides, we're about to have company."

"Company?" Tikaya asked, before she heard the sound of the panel being slid back to reveal an all too familiar face.

Sicarius did not look pleased to see her again. Nor did he look displeased, or chagrined, or as if he experienced any emotion at all.

"The Emperor has noted your lack of appreciation of the gravity of the situation."

Rias grimaced, but Tikaya thought that she detected a hint of smugness to his expression as well.

"And does the Emperor think that threats will put us in a more appreciative frame of mind?" Tikaya asked. She had no illusions about being able to get to her bow before Sicarius put a knife in her, but she at least had to try.

"No threats," Sicarius said, showing her his empty hands. "Proof. Come."

 

Somehow, Tikaya hadn't expected a military escort. It seemed a bit superfluous, with Sicarius right there, although Tikaya supposed the assassin had to sleep sometimes.

The identity of one of the soldiers was even more unexpected.

 _Impossible,_ Tikaya told herself. _He's dead. You're imagining things._

She realized that both Rias and Sicarius were watching her, albeit with very different expressions on their faces.

"Everything ship-shape?" Rias asked, using one of their code words.

"Ma'am?" the soldier who could not possibly be who Tikaya thought he was asked. He even sounded the same. "It's really me, ma'am. I don't quite know what happened, but I'm fine now. Good as new."

"Opinions on that differ," Sicarius said. "Still, I trust that you are beginning to see the problem."

Tikaya decided that for the moment, at least, she did not see any kind of problem.

"I fail to perceive how a man miraculously surviving a mortal injury would suggest a pending invasion by a people who left this planet centuries upon centuries ago," Rias said, using as many as three of the code words that signified danger.

"Oh, I've seen them, sir. Ma'am," Agarik said. "They gave me a message for you. For everyone, really."

Tikaya felt her mouth go dry. "What kind of message?"

"The Emperor would very much like your assistance in answering that question," Sicarius said. "He suspects it's a list of demands, or perhaps simply a description of the grisly fate awaiting all those who will stand against them. Perhaps you might find it in your heart to do him this small favor?"

"My notes - " Tikaya started, before Sicarius interrupted her.

"The message is encoded. Your notes are useless. We need a cryptomancer."

Tikaya decided that for a trick, this all seemed a trifle much. Which meant, however unlikely, that it might not be a trick. Certainly, it was hard to imagine Sicarius play-acting, rather than putting his other skills to use. Plus, how to explain Agarik?

 _There's probably another explanation._ Unfortunately, the only way she was going to find out would be by going along with Sicarius. "Show me the message."


End file.
